This website is dedicated to my dear and funny friend, Bonnie Bedford, who died on July 11, 1997. Bonnie was a fiercely devoted Radical Mother. Her commitment to improving the parenting of the children in her world reached far and wide thanks to the Internet. Her physical presence on the planet will be missed by thousands; and, although, quite tragically, Bonnie's Radical Mother website is no longer being maintained on the Web, Bonnie will continue to affect our world through our memories of her wisdom and wit. Bonnie will long be mourned by her 'net friends all over the world and by her four children, partner and "real life" community. Bonnie's legacy of education and support lives on for women with breast cancer, too.

Any good parenting resources page should probably start off with childbirth since that's how most of us came to have children in our lives.

One way to help ensure that your birth experience is what you want it to be is to hire a labor assistant or "doula". Read about the role of doulas on the Doulas of North America - DONA International site. If you're in the Jacksonville, Florida, area and you're interested in hiring a doula, please e-mail me at cecilia@birthyourwayjax.com for more information or click on my doula page. If my schedule prevents me from serving as your doula, I can put you in touch with many other fabulous doulas in our area!

I am a strong advocate of feeding babies what nature intended them to have in their early years - their own mother's milk. I truly believe, as virtually every early childhood nutrition expert does, that "man-made" synthetic imitators of breastmilk ["formula"] are grossly inferior to "woman-made" breastmilk. Breastmilk is the original *REAL THING* (my apologies to CocaCola's marketing department). Furthermore, I believe strongly in child-led weaning, and both of my children breastfed until they were ready to stop. Here are some links to good breastfeeding information:

If you find the language in my introduction to this section unusually strong, read "Watch Your Language!" by Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC

Managing the Milk Supply from 43,000 Feet is one woman's personal experience with combining breastfeeding and business travel. This article is very informative and humorous, and it illustrates that even mothers who travel as part of their jobs can continue to breastfeed with determination and prior planning.

The Traveling, Working, Nursing Mom is another story of the personal experience of a working, breastfeeding mom who successfully maintained her milk supply and provided milk to her baby while she was traveling for business. Quite inspirational!

If your baby is a boy, you may be trying to decide whether or not to circumcise him. Before you make any decisions about subjecting your one or two day old son to surgery, I sincerely hope you will take some time to inform yourself about circumcision by visiting the following sites. I wish I had had access to more information about circumcision before my son was born. I would have made an entirely different choice if I had known then what I know now. I am providing these resources so that you will have the opportunity to make a more informed decision.

When you get that baby home (or if you're already home because you chose a homebirth), you may wonder about sleeping arrangements. The best choice, in my well-researched opinion and in my own practical experience as a parent, is co-sleeping, also referred to as the "family bed." If you're interested in knowing more about the family bed, check out the following:

As your child grows older, you will be faced with decisions about how to discipline him or her. This is another area where education and information are extremely important to effective and healthy parenting. I don't believe in anybody hitting anybody else or otherwise inflicting physical harm on others. I certainly don't think children should be hit by the people they most love and trust in the world. For further information, check out these sites:

No Spanking Zone - well-researched articles about physical punishment and suggestions for alternative means of guiding your little loved ones through life

All of the above parenting topics are somewhat related to a general parenting philosophy that has been called "attachment parenting". If you'd like to know more about this parenting style, there are links to attachment parenting sites all over the Web. You might also try the following books and sites:

As far as I know, all graphics used here are public domain and not subject to copyright laws.
If you hold the copyright for any of these graphics or know of someone who does, pleasecontact me.
I will gladly discontinue use of the graphic or negotiate for its use.